1,766 research outputs found
A {\mu}-TPC detector for the characterization of low energy neutron fields
The AMANDE facility produces monoenergetic neutron fields from 2 keV to 20
MeV for metrological purposes. To be considered as a reference facility,
fluence and energy distributions of neutron fields have to be determined by
primary measurement standards. For this purpose, a micro Time Projection
Chamber is being developed to be dedicated to measure neutron fields with
energy ranging from 8 keV up to 1 MeV. In this work we present simulations
showing that such a detector, which allows the measurement of the ionization
energy and the 3D reconstruction of the recoil nucleus, provides the
determination of neutron energy and fluence of these neutron fields
Vibrations on pulse tube based Dry Dilution Refrigerators for low noise measurements
Dry Dilution Refrigerators (DDR) based on pulse tube cryo-coolers have
started to replace Wet Dilution Refrigerators (WDR) due to the ease and low
cost of operation. However these advantages come at the cost of increased
vibrations, induced by the pulse tube. In this work, we present the vibration
measurements performed on three different commercial DDRs. We describe in
detail the vibration measurement system we assembled, based on commercial
accelerometers, conditioner and DAQ, and examined the effects of the various
damping solutions utilized on three different DDRs, both in the low and high
frequency regions. Finally, we ran low temperature, pseudo-massive (30 and 250
g) germanium bolometers in the best vibration-performing system under study and
report on the results
Ignition characteristics of the iron-based alloy UNS S66286 in pressurized oxygen
The development of ignition and combustion in pressurized oxygen atmospheres was studied for the iron based alloy UNS S66286. Ignition of the alloy was achieved by heating the top surface of a cylindrical specimen with a continuous-wave CO2 laser. Two heating procedures were used. In the first, laser power was adjusted to maintain an approximately linear increase in surface temperature. In the second, laser power was periodically increased until autoheating (self-heating) was established. It was found that the alloy would autoheat to destruction from temperatures below the solidus temperature. In addition endothermic events occurred as the alloy was heated, many at reproducible temperatures. Many endothermic events occurred prior to abrupt increases in surface temperature and appeared to accelerate the rate of increase in specimen temperature to rates greater than what would be expected from increased temperature alone. It is suggested that the source of these endotherms may increase the oxidation rate of the alloy. Ignition parameters are defined and the temperatures at which these parameters occur are given for the oxygen pressure range of 1.72 to 13.8 MPa (25 to 2000 psia)
Nonlinear Performance of BAW Filters Including BST Capacitors
This paper evaluates the nonlinear effects occurring in a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter which includes barium strontium titanate (BST) capacitors to cancel the electrostatic capacitance of the BAW resonators. To do that we consider the nonlinear effects on the BAW resonators by use of a nonlinear Mason model. This model accounts for the distributed nonlinearities inherent in the materials forming the resonator. The whole filter is then implemented by properly connecting the resonators in a balanced configuration. Additional BST capacitors are included in the filter topology. The nonlinear behavior of the BST capacitors is also accounted in the overall nonlinear assessment. The whole circuit is then used to evaluate its nonlinear behavior. It is found that the nonlinear contribution arising from the ferroelectric nature of the BST capacitors makes it impractical to fulfill the linearity requirements of commercial filters
Background Rejection in the DMTPC Dark Matter Search Using Charge Signals
The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is developing
low-pressure gas TPC detectors for measuring WIMP-nucleon interactions. Optical
readout with CCD cameras allows for the detection for the daily modulation in
the direction of the dark matter wind, while several charge readout channels
allow for the measurement of additional recoil properties. In this article, we
show that the addition of the charge readout analysis to the CCD allows us too
obtain a statistics-limited 90% C.L. upper limit on the rejection factor
of for recoils with energies between 40 and 200
keV. In addition, requiring coincidence between charge signals
and light in the CCD reduces CCD-specific backgrounds by more than two orders
of magnitude.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. For proceedings of DPF 2011 conferenc
Triggering social interactions:chimpanzees respond to imitation by a humanoid robot and request responses from it
Even the most rudimentary social cues may evoke affiliative responses in humans and promote socialcommunication and cohesion. The present work tested whether such cues of an agent may also promotecommunicative interactions in a nonhuman primate species, by examining interaction-promoting behavioursin chimpanzees. Here, chimpanzees were tested during interactions with an interactive humanoid robot, whichshowed simple bodily movements and sent out calls. The results revealed that chimpanzees exhibited twotypes of interaction-promoting behaviours during relaxed or playful contexts. First, the chimpanzees showedprolonged active interest when they were imitated by the robot. Second, the subjects requested âsocialâresponses from the robot, i.e. by showing play invitations and offering toys or other objects. This study thusprovides evidence that even rudimentary cues of a robotic agent may promote social interactions inchimpanzees, like in humans. Such simple and frequent social interactions most likely provided a foundationfor sophisticated forms of affiliative communication to emerge
Robota: Clever Toy and Educational Tool
Therapeutic and educational applications of robots have created a demand for robots showing a number of social skills. These skills include the capacity to imitate, to learn from demonstration, to interpret gestures and to recognize speech. Robot toys are an ideal platform to investigate the potential and limitations of human-robot social interactions. This paper presents Robota, a mini- humanoid doll-shaped robot. Robota is used in an introductory robotics class at the undergraduate level. The class offers an introduction to different tools necessary for building human-robot social interactions. Through a series of hands-on projects, students learn how to use vision and speech processing and how to design learning algorithms. The goal of each project is to create an educational and entertaining game for normal and disabled children
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